Bibliography

Short Stories

Some people have no patience. And that, my friend, causes problems when you’re learning to be a witch. Set in the present day, this story will amuse and scare in equal portions.

Wicked Witches, edited by Scott Goudsward, David Price, and Daniel G. Keohane, pays tribute to those whose ancestors were accused, hung, pressed, drowned, or burned at the stake. “Enter these pages, wander the hard roads of Colonial America or modern corporate boardrooms, to face the Witch.”

Inspired by the poem Moll Pitcher, a 900-line poem Whittier wrote about a clairvoyant and fortune-teller from Lynn, Massachusetts, “The Fortune Teller” takes the tales of the Tarot and a secret revenge to the present day.

A collection of short supernatural stories inspired by John Greenleaf Whittier. All proceeds benefit the Whittier Birthplace museum.

“Although primarily remembered for his poems celebrating rural life, Whittier also relished a good ghost story – his poetry includes tales of witchcraft, clairvoyance, deviltry, premonitions, and ghosts.”

During a camping trip in the Mount Monadnock area of New Hampshire, an author tells her friend that she’s ready to pick up writing her vampire novel again. The wind picks up, the skies cloud over, and the chills begin.

“Northern Haunts is much more than an anthology. It is an indispensable guidebook for your journey through the shadowy New England otherworld. 100 original tales of ghosts, creatures, mad men, and other horrifying mysteries. Each story is told in the first person so that you can employ Northern Haunts as a fireside ghost story reference book. It is designed for you to customize these treacherous tales in order to tantalize your friends and terrify your family.”

Non-Fiction

“Thumb Cats” — Properly called polydactyls, “double-pawed” cats are a curiosity with a long history.
“Seer Stones”— A divination technique you might not have heard about.
“La Santa Muerte”— Who is that skeletal woman in the beautiful wedding dress?
“Coffin Rings” — Another way of remembering.
“Nettles” — The scoop on stinging nettles.

Thanks to Pat Camarena-Rose Barbary of Artes and Craft in Hartford, Michigan, for her help with the Santa Muerte article. Pat is a 1st-generation Mexican American who currently runs MoonFire Coven. MoonFire was originally in Boston, Massachusetts, but is now newly formed in Southwest Michigan.

Not just for beautification, kohl has magical properties. Read “The Magic of Kohl” to find out more. “Nyctophilia, or the Love of Night” gives insight into why many of us love the night. “The Cursed Amethyst and Other Cursed Gems” explores some of the legends associate with cursed gems. We all know the superstitions associated with breaking mirrors, but what about those associated with breaking glass? “Breaking Glass” has some good news. Who was Sidonia von Bork? Read “Sidonia von Bork, Sorceress” and find out.

Do you pick up a penny when you see it on the ground? “Picking Things Up” reveals the origin of and some variations on this tradition.

“Walpurgisnacht” describes the German legend surrounding The Brocken and a recent visit there. According to the legend, on Walpurgisnacht (May Eve), witches gathered from the four corners of the world to attend the Witches’ Sabbat. Riding brooms and goats, they flew to a mist-shrouded mountain peak called the Brocken, or Blocksberg.

On a hot summer night, just as dusk descends, at the edge of a wood or marsh, something magickal happens. As the sunlight fades, small twinkles of light, faint at first, pulse in the growing shadows. As night overtakes the twilight, more flashes appear, glowing brighter against the contrast of the deepening dark. “Fireflies” recounts some of the legends associated with these bioluminescent cuties.

How to sharpen your writing and creative skills from listening to podcasts.

Books

Darksome Thirst

Alicia Anderson must resolve the difference between what her logical mind tells her and what she is actually experiencing when a very pale stranger enters the locked computer room.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, fledgling witch Matricaria has begun to receive psychic messages – vivid dreams and tarot card readings – that point to a terrible fate for someone near her. She and her coven attempt to decipher the symbols, hoping to prevent a tragedy.

Matricaria is studying to be a witch. Alicia is studying to be a computer programmer. Yet together they must learn to battle a common danger.

Can Matricaria, a mere trainee, decode the nightmares in time to save Alicia? Is Matricaria or her coven any match for a vampire who has lived for nearly a century?

The Old Power Returns

Things are not well in the fictional town of Danforth, a mere 25 miles west of the largest city in New England. No doubt the easy access to a large population of prey is an attractive feature for vampires.

Can Alicia, logic-worshipping proto-geek, stave off the vampire? Will Evan’s congee burn in the pan? And what of the “Wizard of Westville”?

The Old Power Returns is the sequel to Darksome Thirst, but I wrote it with enough background so that new readers can jump right in. This one’s a little more fun than the first one, but doesn’t skimp on atmosphere or chills.